Anfield South Wales

“It was my first cup final for Liverpool and as the team coach approached the stadium I could not believe the number of our supporters in the streets,” recalled goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. “The Liverpool people were living for that game and it felt like the whole city had turned out in Cardiff carrying flags, banners and scarves. The streets by Cardiff Castle and the Millennium Stadium were lined by Liverpool fans.”

Travelling Kopites were no strangers to Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Used as the venue to host all major cup finals while Wembley was being rebuilt, Liverpool FC supporters had already seen Gérard Houllier’s Reds win the League Cup, FA Cup and FA Charity Shield there in 2001 and the 2002/03 campaign had begun with another visit for the rebranded FA Community Shield.

No wonder it was nicknamed ‘Anfield South Wales’, but when Houllier’s side returned there on 2nd March 2003 for the final of the League Cup - known as the Worthington Cup at the time - against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United FC they did so with question marks over their heads.

After winning five trophies in 2001 and finishing as Premiership (as it was called) runners-up in 2001/02, Liverpool FC were hotly tipped to challenge for the league title. Houllier had signed Senegal international forward El-Hadji Diouf, his central midfielder teammate Salif Diao and attacking French midfielder Bruno Cheyrou that summer and it was hoped they would be the final pieces of the jigsaw, but the Reds’ form was puzzling.

They won nine and drew three of their opening 12 league games to go seven points clear at the top on the first weekend of November, but a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough FC sparked a spectacular collapse. Liverpool FC won none of their next 11 Premiership games - the club’s worst run of form since being relegated in 1953/54 - and by the time they finally beat Southampton FC in mid-February had fallen to seventh, 11 points off the top.

Houllier’s team had also crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stage following a 3-3 draw at FC Basel and exited the FA Cup with a 2-0 loss at Anfield against Crystal Palace FC. They had, however, continued to win games in the Worthington Cup, beating Southampton FC, Ipswich Town FC (on penalties), Aston Villa FC and Sheffield United FC (in the two-legged semi-final) to reach Cardiff.

And despite their team’s wretched form, the travelling Kop were there in numbers to cheer them on. “I was sitting on the coach and obviously I was just about to play in a cup final,” continued Dudek, “but I realised at that moment just how big the club is and how much it means for the fans to win trophies.”

What the big Pole in our goal didn’t know was how big a part he would play…

What We Achieve In Life Echoes In Eternity

The bad weather meant that the Millennium Stadium’s retractable roof was closed for the Worthington Cup final and that made the atmosphere as loud as perhaps it has ever been for a clash between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC. It was the fourth major final between the two rivals with LFC winning the 1983 League Cup final and MUFC successful in the 1977 and 1996 FA Cup finals, all played at Wembley.

During the midst of the Reds’ terrible run of form, Dudek had made a number of goal-costing errors culminating in a howler against Manchester United FC at Anfield when he let a Jamie Carragher back-header slip through his gloves for Diego Forlán to roll into an empty net.

Liverpool FC lost 2-1 and Dudek was dropped for Chris Kirkland, but he subsequently got injured after two months in the team and Jerzy had the goalkeeper’s jersey again. “The final was three months after my bad day against United. The word ‘avenge’ is a little too strong, but to play the same team in a cup final gave me the opportunity to make amends.”

The travelling Kop covered their half of the stadium in banners - WHAT WE ACHIEVE IN LIFE ECHOES IN ETERNITY amongst those on show - and Hou led the Reds out? Hou, Houllier! Followed by skipper Sami Hyypiä, who was partnered at centre-back by Stéphane Henchoz with Carragher and John Arne Riise at full-back.

Steven Gerrard was joined in central midfield by Didi Hamann, Diouf and Danny Murphy were on the flanks and the tried-and-trusted front two of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey led the line. Vladimír Šmicer, Milan Baroš, Djimi Traoré, Igor Bišćan and Pegguy Arphexad were on the bench, Markus Babbel, Patrik Berger and Kirkland were missing through illness and injury.

Truth be told, the opening 38 minutes of the match couldn’t have been much duller. The Reds had one shot on goal, the Red Devils had two. None were on target. Then Gerrard did what only Gerrard could do.

Riise passed the ball to Stevie G around 25 yards from goal and with David Beckham failing to close him down the Liverpool FC midfielder took a touch before unleashing a thunderbolt of a shot that clipped Beckham and flew over Fabien Barthez into the top corner of the net. 1-0 to the Redmen and the noise was phenomenal with the singing of ‘The Fields of Anfield Road’ in the moments that followed as loud as you could ever hear.

United tried to hit back immediately, but Dudek made a flying save from Juan Sebastián Verón and Henchoz cleared Paul Scholes’ shot from the rebound off the line. All of a sudden a game of football had broken out.

Dudek made another important save from Ruud van Nistelrooy 12 minutes into the second half, which is also when Baroš came on for the injured Heskey. Almost immediately the Czech international ran half-the-length of the field to tee up Gerrard, but Barthez pushed his shot past the post.

Had Dudek not made smart saves from Scholes and twice from van Nistelrooy - his 80th-minute one-handed stop to keep out a half-volley being particularly brilliant - the scoreline would have looked very different when Mikaël Silvestre gave the ball away to Hamann on the halfway line in the 85th minute.

The German midfielder beat Verón and slipped through a pass for the overlapping Owen to run on and slam the ball past Barthez despite a desperate late lunge from United captain Roy Keane in an attempt to bring him down. 2-0 to the Redmen and the travelling Kop celebrated in the knowledge that the 2003 Worthington Cup was won. The full-time whistle got the party started.

Dudek was named as man-of-the-match and was presented with the Alan Hardaker Trophy - traditionally awarded to the best player - before Hyypiä stood in the centre of the podium and lifted the League Cup high into the Cardiff sky as red ticker-tape rained down.

“To be presented with the Alan Hardaker Trophy for being the best player on the pitch in a cup final between Liverpool and Manchester United was very special for me,” said Dudek. “Houllier came over to me and said ‘I told you that you would be man-of-the-match’. At that time, it was the proudest moment of my career.”

It was also the seventh time Liverpool FC had won the League Cup and for those Reds lucky enough to be inside the Millennium Stadium it was a day never to be forgotten.